November 2016

Volume 69 Number 11

MidwstnBeekprsA

www.midwesternbeekeepers.org

Midwestern Beekeeper’s

Association

Midwestern Beekeepers

Association

Members Closed Group

Bass Pro Shop

Independence MO

2:00 PM

Q&A Session for

Beginning Beekeepers

2:30 PM

General Meeting

NOVEMBER GENERAL MEETING

SUNDAY

NOVEMBER 13, 2016

In case of inclement weather on the

day of a meeting, please check our

website, Facebook, or call an officer.

Blowing Smoke

By Bob Williams, President

Continued on Page 2:

COMING UP Attention

We have now moved to Sunday! Fall and Winter management is critical. Now is the time you should make sure that you have strong hives. Combine weaker hives with strong hives, check their food stores, check your mite loads, treat if necessary, install en-trance reducers and mouse guards insure proper ventilation, and feed with 2:1 sugar to water syrup, sugar patties or candy boards. If you are feeding sugar syrup, make sure you keep up with it. You will know when to stop feeding because they will stop taking it. Right now my bees are going through a lot of sugar syrup. I would like to welcome Nita Dietz as our new Youth Scholarship Chair for 2017. Nita is an experienced beekeeper who has been in our club for a long time, and she has also helped teach at our beginning beekeeping clas-ses. The application for the Youth Scholarship Program is in this newslet-ter and on our website http://www.midwesternbeekeepers.org/ . The deadline for the applications is December 15th, 2016.

Mark your calendar, as we have reserved February 25th, 2017 for the 22nd Annual Be-ginning Beekeeping Work-shop at Burr Oak Woods in Blue Springs, Missouri.

Now is also a good time to renew your membership, before we enter the busy holiday season. The membership renewal form can be found in this newsletter and also available on our website, where you can use PayPal to sign up. At the October 20th General Meeting, the topic was “Oxalic Acid Treat-ment for Bees” presented by Wanda Johnston . Wanda spoke of several different Oxalic acid treatments for bees, including the liquid drip method, where you would drip 5 ml of Oxalic acid-sugar syrup mix between each frame with a maximum 50 ml per hive body. Most of the presentation was about the Oxalic acid sublimation (vaporizing) treatment, in which you would use a specialized heating ele-ment to transform the acid crystals into a vapor that permeates the entire hive. First you would seal up all other cracks and openings with duct tape, then put ½ tsp. (Half teaspoon) of Oxalic acid crystals into the heater “cup”, insert it into the hive and finish sealing it up.

Stuart and Nita Dietz

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

NOW AVAILABLE FOR 2017

DECEMBER MEETING

SUNDAY

DECEMBER 4, 2016

Bass Pro Shop

Independence MO

2:30 PM

November General Meeting

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Bass Pro Shop at Independence MO

Switching to SUNDAYS!

2:00 PM

Q&A Session for Beginning Beekeepers

2:30 PM

Missouri Master Beekeeper Program

Presented by Dr. Moneen Jones

http://extension.missouri.edu/masterbeekeeper

To continue our FREE drawing of door

prizes at the end of every General Meeting,

we are asking you to bring your donated

items for the drawing. Thank You!

Community America Credit Union Transactions for the Month of September 2016

Bank Balance as of August 31, 2016 $ 12,680.04 Total Receipts Deposited 45.10 Total Expenses Paid (-$.00 Pending) -23.95 Interest on Savings & Checking Ac-count

.52

Bank Balance as of September 30, 2016

$ 12,701.00

A complete report is available under the member’s area on the website.

Welcome New Member

Donald Hansen, Kansas City, MO

You would then, connect the heating element to a 12 volt battery for 3 minutes, remove the heater from the hive, and reseal the hive for an addi-tional 10 minutes before removing the duct tape and reopening the hive. Treatment is complete. Wanda also addressed the safety pre-cautions, immediately afterwards dip the end of the heater in a pail of wa-ter to cool the heater before putting more Oxalic acid in the cup for the next hive, wearing a face mask ap-proved for organic vapors, wearing eye and hand protection, and also keeping any observers upwind to protect them from any va-pors. Thank you Wanda John-ston. Also thanks to Wes Johnston for again hosting the Q&A session before the General Meeting. At the November 13th General Meet-ing, Dr. Moneen Jones will be pre-senting “The Missouri Master Bee-keeper Program” . Come join us, it’ll be fun!!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Blowing Smoke Continued :

22nd Annual Beginning

Beekeeping Workshop

Saturday

February 25, 2017

Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature

Center Blue Springs MO

Watch for Details

Midwestern Beekeepers Association Page 2

Basic Beekeeping

By Kyle Day

First off I would like to apologize for not having an article in the last cou-ple newsletters. For the ones that don’t know me, I am currently a senior at Richmond High school and with school, looking into colleges, working on applications and scholarships, my involvement in different clubs, working at the local bowling alley and currently in the full swing of football season. I have been very busy and not having time to get an article written up. But if you ever have beekeeping questions or in need of help there is a lot of dif-ferent beekeepers in our association that are open ears and can help. Also I am always available to talk or to point you to someone you could talk to that would be able to answer your question. My email address is kyle.day.1999@gmail.com and would love to help you and answer ques-tions or to hear your feedback of these articles. Now on to the reason everyone is reading this article. At this point in Mis-souri most beekeepers have spent the last 2-3 months preparing his/her hives for the next 4 months. They have fed underweight hives, have treated your hives for mites, have removed excess hive bodies and closed down the entrance to keep mice and robber bees out. The feeding has stimulated the queen to lay new eggs that turn into new workers and your hive numbers are strong with a majority of young bees. For the other beekeepers, we have been busy with other things and are scrambling to catch up with the pru-dent beekeepers. An average size hive right now should be a cluster size somewhere at or larger than the size soccer ball, have at least 2 deep hive bodies or 3 medi-um hive bodies well filled with bees and food. Your top box mostly filled with stores. The goal is to have about 50 to 80 pounds of food stores, else you will need to supplement through the winter with fondant or moist white granular sugar. Your hive(s) provides a dry, adequately ventilated home. I have successfully wintered bees with screened bottom boards. The choice is yours and the debate is eternal. I also have a top exit for air. Ei-ther by using some Popsicle sticks on the inner cover to slightly raise the outer cover or have a sugar board with a couple ¼ inch holes in it. If the line above is true, your bees will survive given they have food touching the cluster all winter. The cluster moves almost always straight up, so frames with honey along either side are almost never consumed unless the width of the cluster brings them in contact with the frame. A smaller cluster may be drawn to one side or the other due to sun radiant energy on the south side of a hive or a second hive being immediately next to the subject hive. Radiant heat can be transferred through the two walls of the adjoin-ing hives and both clusters will be drawn to that shared side of the hive. This isn’t always a good thing because the hive could get drawn to one side then if the weather gets cold the cluster will not move back over to the middle where the major food is stored. The keys to cluster survival is a dry space with ventilation to allow respiration moisture to be driven off, and constant contact with a food source.

December

Meeting

www.midwesternbeekeepers.org Page 3

Continued on Page 5:

Sunday

December 4, 2016

2:30 PM

Bass Pro Shop

Independence MO

Appetizers, Drinks

and Paper Goods

provided by

Midwestern

Beekeepers

Association

Please bring a

dessert to share

This will be a time

of fellowship and to

recognize the

winners of our

annual awards.

Please join us!

Continued on Page 5:

Missouri State Beekeepers Conference

By Cathy Misko

As time has permitted and to protect my investment in bees, I have at-tended the MO State Beekeepers Conferences for 10 straight years. Each year I treasure gathering with fellow beekeepers to be enlightened and re-booted to help keep my bees using the best management possible. I did miss a few sessions this year since this trip served a dual purpose, that be-ing a holiday at the luxurious Four Seasons Lodge with my husband. Bee-keepers work hard and getting away is well deserved; who can resist the therapeutic opportunity to "re-boot" at the lake, during a full moon, and no chores? The MO State Beekeepers Assn. 2016 Fall Conference met all expecta-tions by bringing in Randy Oliver, of California, at http://scientificbeekeeping.com/ and, Mel Disselkoen, of Michigan, at http://www.mdasplitter.com/. Randy, with 50 years of beekeeping, "a natural" who runs circles around most, covered how he and his adult sons successfully raise 1000 plus colo-nies for pollination and sell hundreds of nucs each year while conducting "testing" along the way. Randy promotes year round mite treatment while rotating 4 different products, propagates genetics of "preferred queens”, diversifies genetics via queens and drones, warned that colony neglect contributes to parasitic mite syndrome allowing dead colonies to be robbed out therefore launching a "mite bomb" to explode in the rob-bers' colony. Randy also mentioned that the highest chemical levels in the hives are beekeeper applied miticides. An important nutritional fact that he pointed out was that only young bees/ nurse bees can metabolize the bees' beebread/protein. The older bees (foragers) eat carbohydrates (honey) therefore for colony build up and health, it is vital to have ample young bees available to feed larva and queens. He charged beekeepers to "copy" consistently successful local beekeepers..."THOSE who have TOO MANY BEES EACH SPRING"! Reading the Combs, Asking the Bees , and Seasonal Biology (colony de-velopment depends on pollen not calendar), presentations were motivat-ing and enlightening. An important tidbit addressed foraging stress when rain sets in and brood is being raised. In 2 days bees can use up all protein stores and honey forcing cannibalization of eggs...therefore beekeepers are instructed to feed during such foraging stress. One can merely look into cells and if the larva is floating in jelly...they have good nutrition. If dry, food is inadequate. At this time of the year we can begin to see a 1/3 - 1/2 natural population die off. Post frost, as new bees emerge and do not "smell" pollen being brought in..they will change and become a "fat bee" allowing potential survival of 4 months during winter. Addressing genet-ics and bee breeding, Randy confirms that selection takes place on the queen level and warned to not breed from undesirables but from bees with lowest mite loads. Even "bald brood" could potentially be a means by which the bees avoid mite reproduction. "By comparing the growth of mite populations in each colony, one can determine which bees are more resistant to mites." Apidologie 30 (1990) 183-196

Congratulations to Erin Mullins,

former Missouri State Beekeepers

Honey Queen. She was presented

the Beekeeper of the Year Award at

the Missouri State Beekeepers Con-

ference, for her “nonstop support

and promotion of beekeeping in

Missouri.” Photo credit Eugene

Makovec.

Missouri State Beekeepers

Appreciation/Service Awards

Beekeeper of the Year

Erin Mullins

Young Beekeeper of the Year

Alejandro Reed presented by

Mentor Ray Nabors

Volunteer of the Year

Tim Hyde

Officer Extraordinaire

Steve Moeller

Sweet Leadership Recognition

Valerie Duever

State Fair Appreciation

Dean Sanders

State Fair Grand Champion

Ken Heitkamp

Congratulations to

Dean Sanders, who was

honored at the Mis-

souri State Beekeepers

Conference for his lead-

ership at the State Fair.

Midwestern Beekeepers Association Page 4

Larger clusters can cover or stay in contact with larger parts of the food source in the hive and can therefore survive longer periods of cold and that may keep a cluster from mov-ing during that time. During ex-treme cold, the cluster may be able to access stores above due to the heat from the cluster warming this space but milder temperatures can give them an opportunity to move laterally, but my thinking is this does not happen very often. The periodic warm spells allow you the oppor-tunity to visually access the health of your hive and to do some manipula-tions, provide emergency food. You can open the top and look into the hive on these warmer days. Do not remove frames or break the seals be- tween boxes unless there is a dire reason. If you do break seals, con-sider wrapping the hive after you put it back together to prevent wind from penetrating between the box-es. On these warmer days when the bees can fly, observe each hive and notice if there are differ-ences. Check hives that have less activity, check its weight by lifting the back and compare with other hives. These lesser active hives may need food or you may wrap this hive to help insulate this smaller cluster. I always like to wrap my hives in black tar paper to help them warm, but with this, the hive has a greater chance of eating more and you will need good ventilation. You can periodically check your bees in colder weather by putting your ear to the hive box and gently tapping on the boxes and listen for the buzz. If no buzz, your hive has died. In-spections need to be brief and lim-ited intrusion and infrequent if the last inspection was positive. I usual-ly tap on my hives twice to three times a month but only actually open the hive once a month unless I know I need to be doing something.

Up my alley, Mel introduced his 25 year chemical free management pro-gram of OTS (On-the-Spot Queen Rearing) proclaiming a low colony loss of 10%, low mite loads, and successful income from selling "starts, honey, and queens. He inspired us all stating "You cannot get better bees than the ones that you over winter and that survive in your own yard; breed from those queens." When varroa hit the USA bees killing 70%, Mel focused on the "why" the other 30% of bees survived. He concluded the reason was because the bees superseded their queen in July. Mel therefore developed his pro-gram of artificially superseding colonies in July (noting that he lives in MI) Timing takes advantage of the summer solstice, a time when bees' instinct is to build up (population and honey stores) for winter survival. Queen cells are forced by "notching" brood comb in contrast to grafting or using the Jenter kit. Mel claims that splitting and "starting" a new colony helps with mite control because of the "broodless and droneless" break in the hive. He claims in his 42 years of making his own artificial swarms by "splitting" he has not had his bees swarm. OTS program's quick and skinny: 1) Starts in May when drones are pre-sent, 2) Pull the queen to make an artificial swarm, 3) Notch along proper aged and fed larva (36 hours) in original colony but now queenless, 4) Wait 5 days - queen cells are moved to other queenless starts, 5) Original colony becomes production colony, producing 100 lbs of honey if no brood. He provided calculated instructions which gave much food for thought. Mel communicated a very interesting thought - even when mitacides are used and mites fall off the bees, the bees are still left with wounds where mites once were lodged and possible vectors of viral con-tamination. Mr. Disselkoen claims that the bees get more benefit by broodless cycles preventing mite reproduction. A detailed instruction book is now available for purchase. Midwestern Officers Wanda and Wes Johnson presented excellent high-lights covering Oxalic Acid treatment and Small Hive Beetle presenta-tions. Another benefit of of the conference was shopping at the multiple vendor tables and actually getting "hands on" supplies. I literally filled up a dolly full of equipment to take home, paint, and fill with bees! As Co-Founder of Heartland Beekeeping Partnership, I updated attendees that HBeeP has started the ball rolling investigating the possibility to draft legislation to incorporate beekeeping, honey bees, and beekeeping sup-plies in Missouri Tax Codes to qualify for sales tax exemption under Mis-souri's "farm exemption". I invited beekeepers to contact me with their stories of tax issues and of colony theft and vandalism. Finally, the conference provided ample opportunity to network with bee-keepers from all over the State including Illinois, Kansas, and Arkan-sas. We all have learned different lessons from the bees and have im-portant tidbits to offer the beekeeping community while making friend-ship along the way!

Missouri State Beekeepers Conference Continued :

www.midwesternbeekeepers.org Page 5

Basic Beekeeping Continued :

Midwestern Beekeepers Association (MBA) YOUTH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

APPLICATION / AGREEMENT OBJECTIVES • To educate youth in the art of beekeeping and to promote a better understanding of the value of honeybees to our environment and to the food chain. • To provide an opportunity for youth to experience responsibility and enjoyment through beekeeping. • To provide an avenue for youth to engage in an avocation and gain the potential to pursue beekeeping as a sideline or a full-time vocation. THE AWARDS The Youth Scholarship Award • A two-year MBA membership. • A beginning beekeeper seminar and textbook • A complete set of woodenware for a beehive. • A nucleus colony or package of bees for the hive. • Basic beekeeping gear: hat, veil, gloves, hive tool, and bee smoker. • Mentoring by a MBA member for one year. The Apis Award • A MBA membership. • A beginning beekeeper seminar and textbook • Mentorship sessions in an apiary with a beekeeper ELIGIBILITY The applicant must: • Be between the ages of 10 and 18 by February 1st of the Award Year. • Be a resident of Missouri. • Be currently enrolled in public, private, or home school. • Have permission to apply from a parent or guardian. • Have no immediate family members that are currently beekeepers. • Submit application (postmarked) to Midwestern Beekeepers Association by December 15th, 2016. SELECTION PROCESS • The Midwestern Beekeepers Association Youth Program Committee may arrange an interview with finalists and their parents or guardian. • The Scholarship Committee Chair will award the scholarship and notify the applicant(s) after the MBA January General Meeting of the Award Year.

Midwestern Beekeepers Association Page 6

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

OF AGREEMENT:

The recipient of The Youth Scholarship Award will receive the following: • Woodenware consisting of two standard hive bodies with frames and foundation • Bottom board, top cover, inner cover • Two honey supers • Queen excluder • Feeder • Nucleus or package of bees with queen • Beginner’s equipment to start the beekeeping project (veil/protective clothing, smoker, hive tool, bee brush) • Beekeeping text and instruction notebook. The recipient will also receive the additional benefits: • A two-year MBA membership • Mentoring by a MBA member throughout the year • MBA assistance in extracting the first year’s honey crop • MBA beginning beekeepers workshop The recipient The Youth Scholarship Award will: • Keep a written record complete with dates, photos and other pertinent data sufficient to substantiate all progress of beekeeping experiences • Complete two service projects during the year. Service projects may include activities such as speaking to a school class or a meeting of a youth civic organization (4-H or Scouts) • Attend at least nine MBA club meetings • Present a final report of activities and progress including service projects and beekeeping records • Provide at least one State Fair entry Note: Parents are expected to attend all activities with the student scholar. Upon conclusion of the beekeeping year, if the scholarship recipient has met all requirements, the MBA President will present her/him a Certificate of Ownership and full ownership of the colony and equipment. If, at anytime during the beekeeping year, the youth scholarship recipient has neglected to care for the bees, no longer wishes to continue in beekeeping, or has failed to meet the end of year requirements, the scholarship men-tor will take custody of the hive (including bees) and all related equipment. In coordination with MBA, the schol-arship mentor will move the hive.

www.midwesternbeekeepers.org Page 7

APPLICATION

To be completed by applicant.

Name_________________________________________________ Age ____ Date of Birth _______________

Address _____________________________________________________ Phone_______________________

City__________________________________________ State __________________ Zip_________________

Name of Parent or Guardian__________________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Email and Phone_____________________________________________________________

Summary of your involvement in school, community, church and other youth or civic organizations.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Write a brief paragraph on why you are interested in bees and beekeeping and what you hope to accomplish if you are chosen for this scholarship.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Midwestern Beekeepers Association Page 8

Please attach to application a letter of reference from teacher, community leader, or another organization leader (4-H, FFA, Boy Scouts, or Girl Scouts). Name of person providing reference: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Name of School _________________________________________________________ Grade ___________ Do you know a beekeeper? Yes / No If yes, name and address: _____________________________________________ Phone ________________ How did you learn of the scholarship program? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you are awarded The Youth Scholarship Award, what is the “planned address” for the location of the hive? Hive Address: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Bee Suit Measurements: Height _________ Weight ________ Shirt size ___________ Pant Size ___________

CHECK LIST:

Full Application Reference Signatures / Waiver Notary Self-addressed stamped envelope Mail completed and NOTARIZED application, letter of recommendation, and a self addressed and stamped envelope to:

Nita Dietz 14500 East 37th Street South Independence MO 64055

(785) 304-5905

www.midwesternbeekeepers.org Page 9

WAIVER / BINDER We/I understand that honey bees are unpredictable and that the applicant, participating parent or guardian, and observers risk being stung by the bees. All medical treatment is the responsibility of the applicant’s parents or guardian. Special risks, including death, from allergic reaction to bee venom, are inherent for (a) persons allergic to bee stings and (b) those who do not know whether they are allergic to bee stings, when those persons practice bee-keeping, and although protective gear is being provided to the applicant, it is not a guarantee against being stung. We/I understand that by signing this waiver I am releasing the Midwestern Beekeepers Association, its board members and officers, the beekeeping mentor and all other MBA members from any liability for all claims for damages and losses of any kind, including those arising from any accidents or mishaps which may occur to the ap-plicant and/or the participating parent in the pursuit of this project. We/I also understand the bee colony and equipment will be located on owned property of the participating parent or guardian and will remain the property of the MBA and cannot be sold, given away or destroyed during the qualifying period without the written consent of the same. In the event that the applicant loses interest or can no longer pursue the beekeeping project, MBA will be notified and the equipment and bee colony will be returned to the same. Upon successful completion of the qualifying term and the satisfaction of stated conditions, the recipient will be presented a Certificate of Ownership upon such completion of the pro-gram and receive ownership of the beehive and related equipment.

PARENTAL CONSENT

I _____________________________ am (applicant) _________________________ parent or guardian. She/he is not known to be allergic to bee stings and has my permission to accept this scholarship if chosen. Parent/Guardian: What do you feel the applicant can gain from this program? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you feel you can support and encourage the applicant in this effort? ________________________________________________________________________________________ Does anyone in your immediate family have bees? _____ If so, who? ________________________________________________________________________________________

Signatures below indicate agreement with the above terms and requirements. SIGNATURES

________________________________________ ________________________________________

Applicant Date Parent/Guardian Date State of ___________________________ County of _________________________ Subscribed and sworn to before me this _____________ day of ______________ in the year _____________.

_________________________________________ Notary Public

Midwestern Beekeepers Association Page 10

2017 MIDWESTERN BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

PLEASE CHECK ONE: _____RENEWAL ____ NEW MEMBERSHIP

www.midwesternbeekeepers.org

MEMBER’S NAME: ____________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: ___________________________________________________________________________

CITY: __________________________________________STATE:_____________ZIP CODE: __________

TELEPHONE NUMBER: _________________________________________________________________

EMAIL ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________________________

Please consider receiving your Beeline* by email to help control the cost of printing and postage.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE THE BEELINE BY: _________EMAIL __________MAIL

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP: $15 _______________

FAMILY MEMBERSHIP: $18 _______________

YOUTH SCHOLARSHIP DONATION: _______________

TOTAL: _______________

Do you have special skills or interests to offer the association?

___________________________________________________________________________________

Make checks payable to: Midwestern Beekeepers Association

Mail to: 401 NW Heady Avenue

Ferrelview, MO 64163-1413

Questions: wj@kc.rr.com or 816-392-4960 (Wanda Johnston)

Note: To Join the State Association (Missouri State Beekeepers Association, MoStateBeekeepers.org), Membership Fees can be paid by Pay

Pal or mailed directly to: Missouri State Beekeepers Association, c/o Wanda Johnston, 401 NW Heady Avenue, Ferrelview, MO 64163

*Beeline is the our monthly newsletter

www.midwesternbeekeepers.org Page 11

General Meeting

Sunday, November 13th, 2016

2:00 PM

Q&A Session for

Beginning Beekeepers

2:30 PM

General Meeting

Bass Pro Shop

Independence MO

Wanda Johnston

401 NW Heady Avenue,

Ferrelview MO 64163-1413

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Attention

General Meetings have moved to Sunday!